The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

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Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 52, December 17, 2000: 
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
  

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES 

   We have no new subscribers this week. Our subscriber 
   count holds at 353.    Why not give a "gift subscription" 
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   unsubscribe at any time if they decide it's not for them. 
  

DAVIS LITERATURE SALE RESULTS 

   Charlie Davis writes: "Here are highlights from our November 
   4 Mail Bid Sale.  The sale in total with buyers premium grossed 
   $100,000.  Prices realized lists will be mailed out in the next 
   several days. 

      Volume I of the Numismatist $2900 
      S. H. Chapman's Hunter sale with plates $2300 
      Hill 2 volume set of Italian Medals $1700 
      Complete set of 13 volumes Scott Coin Collector's 
         Journal $1525 
      Steigerwalt's Coin Journal $1200 
      Early ANS Proceedings 1878-1917 $1200 
      Run of Numisma 51 of the 59 issues $1050 
      1905 Bolen with Boyd's notes $900 
      Bathe on Jacob Perkins $875 
      Run of Plain Talk  $750 
      Woodward's large paper Finotti $700 
      Complete set of Empire Investor's Reports $650 
      Autographed 1st edition Red Book $575 
      superb original Mickley catalogue $475 

   About 10% of the lots did not sell including a complete set 
   of Remy Bourne publications on Fixed Price Lists." 
  

MORE NUMISMATIC THEFTS 

   John Kraljevich of Bowers & Merena Galleries writes: 
   "Speaking of numismatic thefts, here's the 411 on a little 
   known one I just found out about last week while researching 
   the March sale. 

   I emailed my alma later, the University of Virginia, to ask about 
   a Jefferson Inaugural listed in their Special Collections online 
   "card" catalogue.  The curator informed me that they had 
   experienced a theft in 1973 and that this piece was among the 
   casualties. it was given to UVa in 1922 from a descendant of 
   the Eppes side of the Jefferson family (the branch from Jefferson's 
   younger daughter Maria who died in 1804.) Both she and her 
   mother-in-law received Inaugural medals from Jefferson in 
   February 1802 and this piece was almost certainly one of these. 
   The curator remembered the piece and said it was silver (though 
   it could have been white metal) and couldn't confirm that pictures 
   exist. I'll try to pass along more info if I can get it -- it would be 
   a victory for all of us if a Jefferson-pedigreed Inaugural medal 
   could be tracked down again. 

   By the way, the March sale is going to be a barnburner. We'll be 
   offering the biggest selection of Indian Peace Medals since 
   Raymond's 1925 Wilson sale and the largest collection of Betts 
   medals ever to be sold at auction -- the second part of this 
   collection will be offered in May. Get your copies early  ...  I 
   expect this catalogue will be a keeper." 
  

WASHINGTON FUNERAL MEDAL INFO FOUND 

   Over on the colonial coin collectors forum, Chris Stevens 
   wrote about some research he's doing on Jacob Perkins.: 
   In reading 18th century issues of The Essex Journal 
   "I also stumbled upon a number of interesting things. 
   One being the original ads run by Perkins for the sale of the 
   Washington Funeral medals. In an add on the front page of 
   the E.J., Perkins states (exaggerates?) that bulk inquiries are 
   welcome, and he has ability to execute 3-5 thousand pieces 
   daily!" 

   The ad appeared in the Jan 10, 1800 issue; here's the full text, 
   from a picture published on the forum's web site: 
   http://www.egroups.com/message/colonial-coins/2559 

      Jacob Perkins 
      Takes leave to inform the pub- 
      lic that he will now be able to answer 
      orders for the Medals in memory of the late 
      illustrious Gen. WASHINGTON, from 
      any part of the continent, and to any a 
      mount, executed on Gold, Silver, or White 
      Metal, with punctuality and dispatch -- from 
      3 to 5 thousand can be made daily. 

          A liberal discount will be made to those 
      who purchase quantities to sell again. 

     Jan 7 

   [Editor's note:  the colonial coins web pages on the egroups 
    site are open only to subscribers of the newsgroup.  Luckily, 
    anyone can subscribe] 
  

PERKINS' BANK BILL TEST ROUNDUP 

   Charlie Davis writes: "In answer to Eric Newman's note about 
   the Perkins' Bank Bill Test, I had the honor of viewing three 
   copies within four weeks in mid 1999. 

   The first belongs to a suburban Boston collector who was 
   offered it about 20 years ago by Goodspeed's. Leonard Finn 
   had first refusal, but with five kids in college, he passed (at 
   something like $350.00!) and the present owner snapped 
   it up. 

   The second I "discovered" in the Rare Book Room at the 
   A.N.A. during the 1999 Summer Seminar where its presence 
   was undocumented. Bob Hoge, ANA Curator, seems to 
   remember that it came from Roy Pennell. 

   And the third, the Fuld copy, was shown to me at the Chicago 
   ANA by George Kolbe just prior to its being included in the 
   Bass III sale. 

   Years ago,  I saw the copy in the library of the Massachusetts 
   Historical Society, and something tells me there is one in the 
   American Antiquarian Society in Worcester as well but that is 
   not substantiated.  That would make the population five for sure 
   (Fuld, Streeter/Newman, Goodspeeds/Boston collector, MHS, 
   and Pennell/ANA), and possibly six." 
  

THE SIMEC STOPS THERE 

   Chuck Shepard's News of the Weird reports: "Wealthy retired 
   Italian law professor Giacinto Auriti began in July to circulate a 
   private currency, called the "simec," among citizens (and about 40 
   shopkeepers) in the town of Guardiagrele (about 125 miles from 
   Rome), to "prove" his longstanding theory that any currency, if 
   put in the hands of consumers instead of banks, yields more 
   purchasing power. 

   Auriti prints the simecs, sells them at par with the lira, and then 
   guarantees to merchants that he will redeem them at double their 
   value (by paying out from his family fortune), thereby encouraging 
   merchants to lower their prices. The simec has caused an 
   explosion of consumer sales, but the government believes the 
   whole idea is ridiculous and will collapse as soon as Auriti stops 
   guaranteeing simecs' value."   Here are a couple of web pages 
   with more information on Prof. Auriti's venture and theory: 

      http://utenti.tripod.it/dinogranata/fotointerviste.html 
      http://www.gdrc.org/icm/owner-money.html 
  

BIBLIOGRAPHY SUBMISSION 

   Dick Johnson writes: "I support an NBS-sponsored project of 
   compiling a 19th century Numismatic Bibliography.  And I have 
   an unreported candidate for inclusion. 

   This is a 3-part series of articles which ran in the weekly 
   newspaper "Philadelphia Dispatch" January 23 and 30, 1853 
   and February 6, 1853.  Headlined "The Way Coins Are Made, 
   A Rare Visit to The United States Mint," it is outstanding for 
   reporting the technology in use by the Mint at that time. 

   The articles are unsigned, and nowhere is the author's identity 
   revealed. I suspect he was either an Englishman, or one who 
   was trained in England.  Seven words are spelled in British 
   English (yet color was not spelled in British English, "colour"). 

   I have visited the National Archives in Philadelphia twice and 
   have examined the Philadelphia Mint Visitors Registers for 
   January and February 1853 and the year prior to learn the 
   author's name, but without luck. I found no useful notation. 

   The author's scenario goes through the Mint a department 
   at a time -- he calls them rooms -- and describes what goes 
   on in 14 such rooms.  There is no mention of a Director or 
   Superintendent, but the author gives credit to Edward C. Dale, 
   the Mint treasurer, who, I suspect, was his guide." 
  

GUTTAG PUBLICATIONS 

   In response to an article in our print publication, William A. Burd 
   writes: "In the Asylum Volume XVIII, No. 3 Summer 2000, 
   Mike Paradis asked about Guttag Publications. 

   I have a set of the 1928 Bulletins (without hole punches as issued). 
   Volume 6, No. 1, March 1928 is 16 pages long, is 6" by 9". 
   The last page says (to be continued).  Vol 6, No. 2 starts with 
   page 17 and ends with page 32. This continues thru the year with 
   No. 10, the December issue, ending with page 160. 

   On page 142 of the Nov. issue is a request for $1.00 for a one 
   year subscription for 1929. 

   I also have a price sheet titled "Coin Bulletin" which is dated 
   February 1936 and is one sheet printed on both sides, is 8 ½ 
   by 14, white paper and appears and be mimeographed.  No 
   series number. 

   I also have one on blue paper and is titled "New Foreign Issues", 
   also dated February 1936, printed one side only, and 8 ½ by 14. 
   No series number." 
  

COGAN-MASON RANDALL CATALOG DEBATE 

   Former NBS President Michael J. Sullivan writes: "Your 
   mention of the Cogan letter in the Library of Congress provided 
   just the first paragraph of a lengthy letter by Cogan on the 
   Randall Collection cataloguing debate between himself and 
   "Brother"  Mason.  Mr. Charlie Davis has done the numismatic 
   community quite a favor by reprinting all known Cogan letters 
   on this topic in his three volume reprint of a complete set of 
   Mason periodicals.  The letters appear as a supplement in the 
   third volume.  By reading the Mason periodicals and the 
   Cogan letters, one can see how the initial rankling turned into 
   a lambasting debate.  Copies of the book are available from 
   Charlie Davis.  Besides, the reprint at around $160 is only 
   about 2% the cost of originals if you can ever find them." 
  

SULLIVAN CHANGE OF ADDRESS 

   Michael adds: "Having moved within Cincinnati several times in 
   the last 12 years, it is time to move the old mail box closer to 
   home.  My new address is: 

      Michael J. Sullivan 
      PO Box 1309 
      West Chester, Ohio  45071 
  

OUT-OF-THE-BOOK THINKING 

   An excerpt from the December 15th Newscan Daily 
   (http://www.newsscan.com/) provides food for thought 
   for bibliophiles: 

   Do you have a reverence for books? Noted essayist Joseph 
   Epstein writes in The Weekly Standard: 

   "Fine things books, but perhaps the moment has come to stop 
   taking them so seriously.  Who was it said that people who are 
   always reading never discover anything?  I'm not sure if that is 
   true, but I do know that reading and thinking are not necessarily 
   the same thing. Sometimes reading supplies the most cunning 
   of all means of avoiding thought.  It would be good once in 
   awhile to try thinking without the stimulus of books, to become 
   not an out  of-the-box -- never, please, that -- but at least an 
   out-of-the-book thinker.  Books may furnish a room, but there 
   surely are other things quite as suitable for furnishing a mind. 
   Time, I think, for me to attempt to find out what these might be." 
  

FEATURED WEB SITE 

   This week's featured web site is recommended by John and 
   Nancy Wilson: "The Coins and History of Asia," by Thomas K. 
   Mallon-McCorgray: 

      http://www.grifterrec.com/coins/coins.html 
  

  Wayne Homren 
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society 
  

  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a 
  non-profit organization promoting numismatic 
  literature.   For more information please see 
  our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ 
  There is a membership application available on 
  the web site.  To join, print the application and 
  return it with your check to the address printed 
  on the application.   For those without web access, 
  contact Dave Hirt, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, 
  5911 Quinn Orchard Road, Frederick, MD 21704 

  (To be removed from this mailing list 
   write to me at whomren@coinlibrary.com)   

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